Former Prime Minister Liz Truss only served the country for 49 days, making her mark in British political history as the shortest-serving prime minister.
However, her few weeks in office were enough to grant her the right to submit a resignation honours list, which is now being vetted by the House of Lords appointments commissions and the Cabinet Office.
But, who is on the controversial ex-PM’s list and how does the honours system work?
Here is everything we know.
Who is on Liz Truss’s resignation honours list?
Lis Truss has been reported to have submitted 14 names in her resignation honours list. This equates to one name per every four days Truss spent in office as the country’s prime minister.
The Times revealed that the South West Norfolk MP had originally planned to nominate four people for life peerages and 12 for honours, including knighthoods, damehoods, and OBEs.
However, one source told the newspaper they would find being nominated by Truss “humiliating”, while another aide said they did not deserve it. So, at least two people have turned down being on the list.
The nominated life peers are rumoured to include Sit Jon Moynihan, a prominent Conservative party donor, Matthew Elliot, the political strategist who ran the Brexit campaign back in 2016, and Ruth Porter, who was Truss’s deputy chief of staff in No 10.
Another life peer is thought to be Mark Littlewood, the outgoing head of the think tank Institute of Economic Affairs, which backed her mini-budget that caused the economy to spiral.
It is unclear what the remaining names on the list are and when the fate of Ms Truss’s proposals will be revealed. However, the current sitting PM, Rishi Sunak, could decide to block some or all of Truss’s list.
How does the honours system work?
There are a few ways in which an individual can receive an honour.
Most honours are given out on the monarch’s official birthday and at New Year. Then, there are Dissolution Honours, which are given out when Parliament ends before a general election, and Royal Victorian Honours, which are awarded to people who have served the Royal Family when a senior member of the monarchy passes away.
Another way in which people could be honoured is via prime ministers who have resigned, as they can also submit a list.
The New Year and Birthday honours will be selected by the monarch following recommendations made by the prime minister and senior government ministers. Members of the public also have the opportunity to nominate people who have made significant achievements in public life or have committed themselves to helping and serving the nation.
The Prime Minister’s Resignation Honours and the Dissolution Honours work differently. These are decided by the PM before being vetted by the Cabinet Office and the House of Lords.
As for honorary awards given to foreign nationals, the Foreign Office created the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List, following the recommendations made by the Foreign Secretary.
For all honours, once a person has been informally approved to receive one, they will be sent a formal letter asking if they will accept the honour. These individuals have the right to turn it down.
Historically, the likes of Roald Dahl, Aldous Huxley, Lucien Freud and LS Lowry are among those who have turned down honours.
More recently, Nigella Lawson, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, and David Bowie were reported to have turned down honours.
Those who decide to accept the honour will then receive it. But it can always be withdrawn by the Honours Forfeiture Committee. For instance, Anthony Blunt was honoured for being the Queen’s former art adviser, however, his honour was withdrawn when it was found out that he worked as a Soviet spy.
